Tips for assisting your children with homework

Homework, and conversely, the time spent completing it, has increased dramatically over the years. Assignments are also more challenging and complex, evidenced by the heavy, cumbersome knapsacks being lugged around today’s schools.

Grueling assignments can be made simpler with help and guidance from parents. These surefire tips will help you as parents make sure your kids get the most out of doing homework.

Determine a learning style

Do your children prefer to work alone or with a friend? Are they more alert before dinner or after dinner? Whatever the preferred method, ensure that this learning style is followed routinely. Many younger children study more effectively with visual images. Pictures, videos, animation, and the Internet create more of an impression than reading printed texts. Try to search for good visual material to complement the aids from their teacher.

Organization and time management

Magnetic or desktop calendars are handy for scheduling homework, listing projects, and writing due dates. It’s best to keep the same schedule daily. But be flexible—outside activities can interfere with some schedules. Encourage kids to begin assignments early to avoid the pressure of waiting to start a project too close to the assignment due date.

Colorful and fun binders, folders, and stickers create an orderly, organized system. Keep a well-stocked supply of pencils, pens, and stationary. Get a bulletin board, index cards for reviewing material, and a calculator. Have a clock nearby to keep track of time.

Set up a study area

Comfortable family kitchens are popular places for kids to study. Kitchen tables are roomy enough to accommodate parents and kids while working together on assignments.

Primary school children

• Try to allocate 30 minutes to 1 hour that you can sit down with your children and go through their homework. Although they may only have work sheets two to three days a week, reading should be done everyday.
• Use props around the home to help your children understand math. Use coins or food for adding and subtraction.
• Have your child read to you while you prepare the nightly meal.
• Put multiplication tables as your child’s dinner place mat. During dinner they can say some of their times tables or parents can ask, allowing your child to locate the relevant one.
• Use refrigerator magnets that have letters and numbers. Say a word and have your children locate the letters and spell it out on the fridge.
• Have your children read you the headlines of the daily newspaper’s arts or sports section.
• Write word tags for things your child uses everyday. For example write on a piece of paper the word “refrigerator”, or “table”, “kettle”, “door”, etc and stick them onto the item.
• For older children, where reading is more established, have your child spell the things they would like to you. Or answer your child by spelling out the word.
• For older primary school children do not do their homework for them. You are there to guide and assist, encourage and motivate, not rob them of there own learning process.

Secondary school children

As children grow it can become difficult for a parent to provide assistance, as the material older children are studying now may have been taught to you many years ago. As a parent try and re-teach yourself some skills, like algebra or trigonometry. Utilize the Internet, go to E-bay and see if there are any mathematical tutorial books that you can purchase and use yourself. Sit down with your child and learn together, working through the problems and definitions as a team.

• Create a daily homework and revision timetable for your children. Sit down and see what topic areas they are most comfortable with and which ones they might struggle with.
• Show your child how to manage their books, folders and pencil cases. Make sure they have all the necessary equipment needed.
• Create study notes together for an approaching exam. Quiz your child on questions and topics.
• Spell out new, tough words when you come across them, encouraging your children to spell out things with you.
• Go through your high school aged children’s schoolbooks regularly, keeping yourself up to date with what they are learning.

Being involved with your children’s learning will create excellent study habits, keep you up to date on the materials they are studying, and ensure that the lines of communication between you, your child, and your child’s school are kept open.

By creating an environment that is encouraging and helpful, your children are sure to succeed.

Contributions were made by Michelle Howard and Rachel Hanlon